J.T. Realmuto Creates Priceless ASG Moment for Phillies Fan

Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto had an ‘All-Star night’ in more ways than one.

Major League Baseball is much more than just professional athletes taking the mound and entering the batter’s box to compete. There is no doubt that Philadelphia Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto understands just that, given his interaction with one young fan in attendance at Tuesday’s All-Star Game at Coors Field.

In the same game that Realmuto became the first Phillie in 40 years to homer in the Midsummer Classic, he went out of his way to make the night just as unforgettable for 12-year-old Matthew Borden and his dad, Larry.

“I saw J.T. in the dugout,” Matthew recently told 6ABC’s Jamie Apody — as he and his dad were en route to the Denver airport to return home in Lower Merion. “He went into the clubhouse, got a sharpie, signed his bat, and gave it to me. I just couldn’t speak. I was speechless.”

Larry continued in conversation with Apody that everyone around them could not believe what the “best catcher in baseball” did. He called the now three-time All-Star a “total class act” and that he changed his son’s life.

“It was incredible to see a Phillie. It was incredible to see a Phillie hit a home run,” Larry continued. “And then to do what he did was just awesome. I told Matthew yesterday, there are 40-some thousand people here at this game. There are millions watching from home, and you possibly got the best gift.”

If Larry has one hope for his son, it is that one day, he pays it forward by making someone feel the same way Realmuto made him feel.

Without a doubt, the Bordens now have this memory that will last them a lifetime.